Lock for motor-vehicles.



S. L..MORGAN. LOCK FOR MOTOR VEHIGLES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4.1911.

PatentedSept. 3,1918.

. IIIIIIIHIII fi,

UNITED STATES PATENT curios.

STEPHEN L. MORGAN, OF SKANEATELES, NEW YORK.

LOCK roR'MdroR-vEHIoLEs.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, STEPHEN L. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at -'ogous motor vehicle so that such vehicle cannot be operated until such mechanism is again released, and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, eificient and easily operated locking device for thus preventing the theft or unauthorized use of the car, and a further object is to provide such locking device in such relation to the gear shift lever of the selective type as to'hold :such lever in the neutral position in which the rotation of the motor is idle and the car cannot be started or run under its own power.

which such lever is mounted, and a further object is to provide alocking mechanism of the combination type which may be easily set to any desired sequence of letters or num bers within the range of the lock mechanism.

The invention consists 1n certain novel features, and details of construction'and arrangement by which the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show approved forms of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in vertical section, showing a preferred form of the invention designed to encircle the shift lever and slide concentrically thereon in locking and releasing.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding side elevation partly in vertical section;

I Fig. 3 is 215 3 61110311 isection' through the. locking mechanism, on va larger scale, the portion ofthe lever beingshown 1n elevation.

Fig. f is a corresponding top or plan view.- Fig. 5 is an elevation of a portion of the.

' lever, with the locking disks in section, showing the relation of the disksthereto.

Specification of Letters Patent.

notches a, a?

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section, partly in plan view, taken on the line 66 in Fig. 3.

-Similar letters of reference indicate likeparts in all the figures.

A is the gear shift lever, B the ball or spherical fulcrum thereof mounted in a socket C and having a downward extension 7 Patented Sept. 3,1918.

Application filed June 4, 1917. Serial No. 172,588.

A through which the speed changes are initiated as usual.

D is a vertical flange or rim on the socket O forming an annular recess around the lever in which the latter is oscillated in the various directions required in making the speed changes, and in which the lever occupies the central position when in neutral. Such recesses in varying forms are usually present in cars of this class of the selective type, and in this form of the invention the recess is utilized in holding the lever in neutral by insertingin such recess a filling-piece referably an annulus mounted to slide vertically on the lever and fitting closely within the recess when in the lowered position. It is obvious that if such boss or annulus be thus inserted and locked the-lever must remain in neutral until the annulus is again removed and the lever thus released.

The insertion of the filling-piece or boss and the means for retaining it in locked relation in the recess may be varied according to varying conditions; in the form of the invention shown in the figures above re-. ferred to the lever A has a ridge or feathers tanceabove the socket C, in which are spacech ed to slide thereon with the outer margin of thefeather protruding through-the slot.

The lower end of the sleeve is inclosedina collar E also slotted at e' to match to the Alsl'e'eve E'slotted longi tudinally to match to the feather A incloses the lower P'OItIOIIOf the leverand is mount A extending longitudinally: for a short disprojecting edge of the feather A and has a flange carrying on its underface an annulus or circular boss E adapted to match to the recess in the socket (l when the lever A is in the central. position and the collar lowered therein.

F F F are circular locking disks arranged one above the other, separated by spacing rings (1', and encircling the lever A and sleeve ltl, and in the lowered and locked condition each disk coincides with one of the notches a, a, and may be rotated on the sleeve while thus engaged each in its notch. The central hole in each disk has a notch f which when brought into coincidence with the feather by the rotation of the disk, matches to the protruding edge thereof, and when all the disks are thus rotated to-bring all the notches f in line with each other and with the feather theymay all slide longi tudinally of the lever together with their spacing rings and connected collar, and the boss E thus raised sufliciently to disengage the recess and permit the lever to be moved from neutral. and perform its usual functions.

Each locking disk has a peripheral flange F cut away at one point as at f to admit a block or lug F shaped to match to the flange F and inclose the latter with a portion of the disk, and may be slid thereon and located at any desired point in the periph cry of the disk and held by a setscrew F. The lugs project above the disks and the one on the lowermost disk F lies in the path of a downwardly projecting pin F on the next disk F above, the lug of which is similarly located relatively to a pin on the uppermost disk F, the lug F" on the latter lies in the path of a pin. H on a ring 1 forming a portion of the casing H in which the locking disksand spacing rings are inelosed and which is rotatively mounted relatively thereto and to the sleeve and lever. The uppermost spacing ring G has a flange G serving with the ring H to close the upper end of the casing H and carries a fixed mark G adapted to serve with letters, numerals or in the lock as shown, until all the pins lie.

in contact with their lugs, the lowermost 'disk F is located to unlock by turning the casing. to the right approximately three; times, stopping at the last turn with the first number of the combination selected presented at the mark G in which position the lowermost disk will have been turned to bring its notch f into coincidence with the feather and will be held in such position by friction. Approximately two turns to the left and stopping with the selected number for the second disk at the fixed mark G brings the notch of the second disk F in line with the feather, and then on turning the casing approximately one turn to the right to bring the number of the first disk F to the mark, all the notches 7' will match to the notches in the spacing rings and to the feather and permit the whole to be raised and the lever released. To set the disks to the desired combination of numbers, the casing H is loosened and raised to expose the disks and the setscrews F. are slackened to permit the lugs Fito be moved on their disks and again secured in the positions at which the notches 7 will coincide withthe feather when the desired num bers are presented in proper sequence to the mark G- as above indicated, the casing H is then lowered and secured.

In order to hold the collar and its boss in the elevated position a spring latch L is provided arranged to enter and engage in a hole a in the gear shift lever and support the whole ,until again withdrawn. While thus elevated thevnotches f' are all in engagement with the feather and the disks held against rotation. On withdrawing the latch the casing will descend and the lever being in the central position the boss E will again enter the recess in the socket C and hold the lever in this central or neutral posi tion. The disks F F F will then lie on the same level as and in coincidence with the, notches a, at, a ,in the feather and by rotating the casing in either direction one or more of the notehesf will be moved out of line thus engaging one or more of the disks in the feather-notches and the lever will be locked until the several numbers of the combination are again brought successively to the mark Gr as before indicated.

To avoid the danger of one of the disks accidentally engaging one of the notches a, a a other than its own in the act of lowering the collar, the notches are made successively wider and the disks successively thicker, see Fig. 5, by which arrangement the lower disks cannot enter the upper notches. v

The lugs may be placed at any desired points on the disks and the combinations thus varied indefinitely, so that a car owner may set the lock to any combination of three munbers he mayselect. and may change the combination as often as desired.

The feathenmay be a permanent fixture on the lever or may be attached thereto by screws; if the latter. the screws are so spaced as to insure that one or more shall lie concealed by the casing and collar in all positions.

I claim In a locking device of the eharaetervset forth, a series of annular locking disks each having a peripheral flange with an opening above set forth I afiix my signature, in therein, a 1lug arraiiged t(l)1 engage szgild presence of two Witnesses. flan e anc circum erentia y a justa e thel zzon and to be admitted through such STEPHEN MORGAN 5 opening, and means for holding said 111g in Witnesses:

a selected position on said flange. W. J. MORGAN,

In testimony that I claim the invention EMILIE L. MORGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. 0. 

